


You Shouldn't Have Come Here (Fictober Submission)

by PerpetualSpinster



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 10:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerpetualSpinster/pseuds/PerpetualSpinster
Summary: The aftermath of Erik's reign on Wakanda does not end Okoye's inner turmoil.





	You Shouldn't Have Come Here (Fictober Submission)

Okoye was up early one morning, not able to sleep. It has been harder and harder to come by since the infamous civil war in Wakanda now a few weeks ago. The bombardment of weapons on either side, the senseless killings that ravaged their nation among themselves was unforeseen prior to that day. 

The rebuilding process was just about done but the emotional and mental wounds were far more difficult to mend. There was to be the funeral for Okoye’s Dora Milaje counterpart Xoliswa, who was killed by Erik. Being the first Dora killed in combat, the rules of funeral arrangements were off the cuff, setting a precedence that they all hoped would not be a common occurrence. 

The destruction of various fields throughout Wakanda needed to be tended to before choosing where to bury Xoliswa. Eventually, one had been chosen by a cliff that oversaw the River Province. The grass smelled sweet, and the sunset beautifully over it.

Okoye instructed the other Dora to wear their full gear to the ceremony, making her way to the burial grounds to make sure all was accounted for. Ayo was there already, overseeing the sunrise.

“Good morning, General. I hope you were able to rest some last night?” Ayo asked, saluting Okoye.

Okoye pauses before replying. “As best as one can. Are the others on the way?”

“Yes. They should be arriving any moment.” Ayo says, looking down at the casket in front of them. 

The Jabari tribe offered their services to create a beautiful, strong structure for their comrade to be laid to rest in, trimmed with gold and red adornments and rank indicated on top. 

“They did a wonderful job with the…craftsmanship.” Okoye replied, clearing her throat.

Ayo nods. “Indeed. They had been a great help to us since the war on Wakanda. If one can say anything good came from it, that might be.”

“I will stick with ‘if’, if you don’t mind, Ayo….” Okoye says, lightly running her fingers across the wood grains on the box. Xoliswa was right there, underneath the lid, but far from there. Okoye’s vision gets blurry as she holds her eyes closed a moment, willing her tears back from whence they came. 

A hand finds the middle of her back. When Okoye opens them, Ayo is standing beside her, comforting her. Despite their outward appearance and posture, it is commonplace for the Dora Milaje to express their emotions properly. They were not robots and they prided themselves on the fact; knowing each other and what was going on in each others lives helped to keep their morale at its peak. 

Okoye nodded, grateful to Ayo for her compassion before collecting herself as the other Dora arrived, T’Challa in tow. They stood around the casket of their beloved comrade in silence as the sun continued to rise, before T’Challa spoke a few words.

“I am forever grateful for the invitation to be here and speak on behalf of you all. The Dora Milaje are the fiercest and most capable warriors the world has ever seen. Undefeated, to this very day in their plight to protect Wakanda and its people, as well as those outside of its borders when necessary. These facts are well known, but what may not be fully realized is how much the Dora give to the community with their hearts as well. The people of Wakanda are not fearful of their officers of authority, which is a minority way of thinking. The Dora are human beings first. People with a heart for those who need help, love for their country and all who inhabit it. They are the epitome of what a good warrior can be when allowed to feel, and be themselves. Xoliswa died with honor, and no regret for her time served with the Dora Milaje, pronouncing her loyalty to country with her last breath. Her service will never be taken for granted and her personhood will never be forgotten.” T’Challa finished by walking up to a vibranium plaque that sat at the head of the casket, and would remain, in remembrance of the first Dora lost to enemy hands. The plaque read a prayer to Bast and the ancestors for the safe travel of their sister to the heavens.

At this point all of the Dora had tears streaming their faces, but not a one wiped them away. They experienced a hurt that many could not understand, for they were a sisterhood that few could even enter, much less get to know about. One gone was too many, and it took everything in their power to not feel like they were walking with a limp whenever they assembled together. Okoye lead a chant of encouragement, chorused by her sisters as the winds picked up around them. They danced and yipped, holding their spears in the air in celebration for their friends ascendence to the ancestors.

Once the ceremony finished, Okoye dismissed the Dora to their residences to have the day off (or at least to remain on call if needed). Okoye would arrange for the burial of Xoliswa that evening by some volunteers from the Mining tribe. As the ceremony ended well, Okoye still felt unwell, empty. She had not gotten all of the closure she hoped to get from the funeral services and needed to clear her head a bit.

Walking down to the border, the smell of rhinoceros hit her nostrils. It was putrid, sure, but the she loved them so it was almost gave her euphoria, for it had been so long since she seen them. 

Approaching the fence slowly, one rhino notices her and meanders up to her. Okoye holds her hand out, careful not to spook the animal. Once it got a whiff of her hand, it gave her a lick, making Okoye laugh. Her laughter grew stronger as the climbed over the fence to hug the beast, feeling its worn but soft, wrinkly hide. Her cheeks hurt from the smiling, as she hadn’t in a long time, and tears flooded her eyes once more.

“It is good to see you, General.” a voice said behind her.

Okoye straightens up, not out of fear, but anxiety of the person she knew too well. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

W’Kabi leans on the fence, petting the rhino. “It is my province, is it not?”

“Can you claim any bit of Wakanda after what you have down?!” Okoye hissed, climbing over the fence and walking across the field.

W’Kabi jogs up to her. “I miss you, Okoye.”

“That is not what I want to hear right now. Where were you?” Okoye whips around to ask him.

Looking down at his feet, he says, “T’Challa thought it best I not show up on account of…everything. May have been too much for the other Dora-”

“And why is now the better moment for you? Huh? I JUST buried my friend, WHY NOW?!”

W’Kabi steps to touch Okoye, but she pulls back in a defensive stance. Her staff not out, yet. “You are the love of my life, Okoye. We are one, I cannot keep on without you by my side.”

“I was by your side! Even at your worst, I still loved you! You undermined me in front of that, that kretin of a human being who wanted to wreak havoc on the world!”

W’Kabi keeps his face soft, trying to reason. “I know, I know that now. I was just…too angry with how the world could go on the way it has been. How it took my parents from me, like thieves in the night, and I had no justice. That time seemed like the moment for it.”

Okoye laughs maniacally. “So the best way was to partner with the man who was an associate of the man who killed your parents. The enemy of your enemy, is your friend? Even after five minutes of introduction?”

W’Kabi blinks hard. “It was a silly notion, I admit. That is why I need you, with me. So I can make things right.”

Okoye points a finger towards W’Kabi. “I will not fix your mess! I will not be your counselor, your guide, or your mother! I care for you, and I always will, W’Kabi. But not once have you apologized for my loss. You may have been imprisoned, but a letter would suffice to let me know how deeply sorry you are. I cannot forgive what your ego made you do. I cannot stand by you, not now. Lives were lost, the most since that attack that claimed your parents. You realize you have transposed your own hurt onto future generations? Sick and angry over their loved ones dying, unnecessarily? Tell me how does that feel?”

W’Kabi is frozen, completely speechless at that revelation.

Okoye waves him away, tired and frustrated. “Go to your friend, T’Challa. While he is thankfully still with us. Make amends with him and look within yourself to see why you would risk life and limb for an outside influence, when the people who know and love you were not enough.”


End file.
